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Bank of CarthageBank of Carthage · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Carthage

How is Carthage run?

Carthage’s city government spent $135,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $472 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Carthage didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Today

General election in Arkansas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$135,000
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$472
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$20,000
end of 2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
1
full-time · 38 part-time · March payroll $22,893 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$452
0.36% of home value · AR 0.55%

What stands out about how Carthage is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $472 per resident a year, or $1.29 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: fire, at 27%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 32%Utility sales 24%Fees & charges 23%From other local governments 15%Property taxes 4%Interest, fines & other 4%
An estimate

Carthage didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $62,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $256,000.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Carthage yet

Every year of Carthage’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $452 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.36% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Arkansas$1,040
Carthage$452
$452
typical bill a year
0.36%
effective rate
$124,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Carthage’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Carthage’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carthage →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Carthage

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Carthage’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Carthage yet.
Who works for Carthage

One full-time city employee for every 286 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (286).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings0 + 37 pt
Water & other utilities1 + 1 pt
1
full-time
38
part-time
$22,893
payroll for March 2022
$274,716
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$36,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Estimates.Carthage didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Malvern Special School District

Carthage’s K–12 school district, shared with Malvern, Perla, Rockport. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Carthage →
$15,541
per pupil · AR $13,585
1,825
students
$29.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,541 per pupil, $8,729 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 13%State 61%Federal 26%

Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Carthage’s votes are counted by county

Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carthage alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dallas County’s results.

President · Dallas County’s results2,324 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican63.8%1,482 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat34.3%798 votes

Others: 1.9% (44 votes).

Most votes in Dallas County: Donald J Trump

Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%

The county’s page

100% of Carthage lies in Dallas County. Every 2024 race in Dallas County is on the county’s page.

Dallas County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Carthage

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Carthage.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Arkansas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Arkansas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Carthage’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Carthage’s government

How much does Carthage spend per resident?

About $472 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Carthage didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $256,000.

What is the property tax rate in Carthage?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $452 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Carthage’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carthage yet.

How did Carthage vote in 2024?

Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carthage alone. Dallas County, where 100% of Carthage lies, voted Trump 63.8%, Harris 34.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Carthage?

1 full-time and 38 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $22,893 (about $274,716 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Carthage in the state legislature?

State Senate District 2 (Matt Stone) and State House District 96 (Sonia Barker). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Carthage’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Carthage, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →